CLEVELAND — The Guardians came back from the dead in Major League Baseball's playoff picture and charged all the way to the top of the American League Central Division.

The Guardians were 15½ games back on July 8, 10½ games back on Sept. 1 and 9½ games back on Sept. 10. Now, with five games remaining in the regular season, they are trying to hang on to first place.

The Guardians will play the second of their crucial three-game series with the division rival Detroit Tigers on Sept. 24. The series began with Cleveland capturing a 5-2 win on Sept. 23, moving into a tie with Detroit atop the AL Central standings and clinching the head-to-head tiebreaker between the two teams. The Guardians have won 16 of their past 18 games.

First pitch between the Guardians (85-72) and Tigers

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